Business jets were involved in 18 nonfatal and three fatal accidents during the first nine months of 2006, compared with 16 nonfatal and one fatal accident in the same period last year. Despite the increase in fatal accidents, the number of deaths remained the same, at eight persons, according to safety analyst Robert E. Breiling of Boca Raton, Fla.

The 70-year-old Piper Aircraft has begun a new era, launching the six-seat, single-engine PiperJet, carrying a price tag of approximately $2.19 million. The move adds another entrant into the very light jet market.

Verizon Airfone has notified customers that it will continue to provide Teledyne Control MagnaStar users with air/ground communications through at least Dec. 31, 2007. Verizon will also accept new service agreements with the understanding that they may end on that date.

Two lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the September 29 midair collision between an ExcelAire-owned Embraer Legacy 600 and a Brazilian Gol Airlines 737-800. The Legacy landed with no injuries to its seven occupants, but the 737 crashed, killing all 154 aboard. Both lawsuits have been filed against U.S.

At the National Business Aviation Association convention in October, Cessna introduced the latest member of its Citation family, the CJ4. The Wichita, Kan. manufacturer claims it is a clean-sheet design rather than a derivative of past Citation CJs.

The second prototype of the eight-passenger Grob SPn light jet crashed shortly after takoff from the company's airfield in Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany, on November 29, killing the chief test pilot, who was the sole occupant. The airplane had logged 28 hours since its first flight on September 29.

Jet Aviation, based in Basel, Switzerland, has contracted with internationally known designer Philippe Starck to fashion an executive/VIP interior for a customer's Airbus A330-200. The cabin will be fitted with a master bedroom and dressing room, lounge, conference/dining room and private salon. An aft section will be configured in business class and equipped with a galley.

Fractional ownership firm European Business Jets (EBJ) plans to expand its fleet through the addition of an aircraft management division. The company, based 70 miles north of London at Cambridge Airport, is also considering adding new airplane types, including very light jets such as Embraer's Phenom 100 and the HondaJet.

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Quote/Unquote

““When I made the film The Invention of Lying, they gave me a private jet for getting back and forth between New York and London. I thought, ‘I will never use it’ but I ended up using it every weekend. You turn up, right, and the airport is completely empty. I mean, there’s just someone at the desk and then the pilot, who says, ‘Are you ready to go?’ and you say, ‘Don’t you want to see my passport?’ and he goes, ‘Oh yeah, I suppose I’d better.’”
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